Traversing through the gorgeous scenery in Breath of the Wild is honestly one of my very favorite things to do in the game. Whether by foot, horseback, or the occasional shield-surf, I love revisiting these jaw-dropping – and often bizarre – regions in Hyrule. One of the places I wound up being the least interested in aside from the desert was the Thundra Plateau… mostly because it’s always storming and shocking me if I’m not fast enough to put my metal gear away!

What’s changed my tune? Well, it just struck me a few minutes ago that the trees there are based off a real-world type of tree, which I just learned existed a week ago. Those strange, massive, mushroom-looking trees in the Thundra Plateau seem to be based off the exotic and mysterious dragon’s blood tree in Socotra.

We all have to deal with our fair share of annoying characters in video games. Sometimes their intentions in guiding you are noble – like Navi – but their incessant cries of “HEY, LISTEN!” and hand-holding tendencies tend to grate on our nerves. Or maybe they’re simply useless characters that tag along with you only to hold you back in battle (looking at you, Pokey, assistant to the greatest evil in EarthBound).

Or they could be a wise old creature that perches atop twisting branches, patiently waiting for you to step unwittingly into his clutches, just so he can subject you to an overabundance of information you may or may not find helpful.

Introducing Kaepora Gaebora, the oft-dreaded owl that continues to check in on Link as he progresses through his quest.

If you’ve played Zelda, you know “whooo” this owl is (and you may be groaning inwardly even thinking about him). Amongst enthusiastic exclamations of HOO HOO HOO!, the owl peers down at you, almost judging you with stoic eyes hidden in bushy cheeks, his head turning in nearly impossible angles. He imparts hints and bits of knowledge to help you along the way.

Okay, Zelda fans, this question has been swirling around my brain off and on since I picked up this game and played it for the first time in 2007. I was easing my way into the Zelda series in my college years when one of my best friends lent me his copy of Twilight Princess. “Give it a try – I bet you’ll like it!” he said.

As I progressed through the game and found myself being pulled through the realm of twilight by a bunch of baddies, I was astounded at what I saw: Link, my favorite video game protagonist, contorted painfully into a wolf and collapsed to the ground. As the baddies dragged his body away, two thoughts popped up in my head:

1.) What happened to Link? *worried fan-girling commences!*

2.) Why in the h*ck is Link a dang wolf?!

Seriously, out of all the animals in the known universe, why did he turn into a wolf, not a bear or a dragon or a Pegasus or whatever?

Since my Switch has been effectively commandeered by my husband, who is super-immersed in Fire Emblem: Three Houses (read: I won’t see the Switch till probably next summer), I’ve been digging into older Zelda games. The one I’m working on right now is Ocarina of Time (with the Master Quest) on the GameCube. Although, I have to say, I’m sorely missing the N64 version for the easier controls and the Fire Temple’s original soundtrack.

Even though I’ve been making like Reggie and playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf a lot lately, I picked up my Zelda quest and ventured into my very favorite temple last week – The Forest Temple. Nestled safely in the remote recesses of the Lost Woods, the Forest Temple is an ancient abandoned castle that still mirrors the days of yore in Hyrule… just with more Skulltulas, baddies, and four snickering little ghosts affectionately known as the Poe Sisters.

Joelle, Beth, Amy, and Meg are the four sister spirits haunting the Forest Temple, aside from Phantom Ganon, that is. As Link approaches the Grand Hall in the main room, the sisters appear and remove flames in red, blue, green, and purple, disappearing into separate areas of the temple. I don’t know about you, but I’m always left feeling a little extra chilly and instantly missing the warmth of the candlelight as soon as they vanish.

So, who are these Poe Sisters? I don’t have all the answers, but I can offer a little bit of nerdy insight, especially in their names and color associations. See what you think!

Hey, everyone! If you’ve been keeping up with E3 this year, then you know there’s a lot to be excited about. Nintendo announced several upcoming titles, including the Switch remake of Link’s Awakening (September 20, 2019), Cadence of Hyrule (available this week!), Luigi’s Mansion 3 (2019), Pokemon Sword and Shield (November 15, 2019), and Animal Crossing: New Horizons (March 20, 2020). Of course, the last thing Nintendo gifted us with was a tantalizing albeit ambiguous trailer of the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Even though it clocks in at a little more than 1 minute, the trailer had a looooooot going on. A. Lot. I had to go back and view it several times to not only piece things together but also analyze some elements within. If you pay super close attention, you’ll pick up on some crucial details that might hint toward what we could expect to see in the future.

I know everyone out there is dissecting this trailer with their own unique thoughts. Here are mine!

Hello, dear readers! A week or so ago, I thought about writing this post but thought better of it. Why? Ehh… well, for a few reasons. First of all, it isn’t really /about/ video games, and secondly, I’ve been kinda picked on for doing this before. What am I talking about?

Listening to your own music while playing a video game.

And okay, “picked on” is a strong phrase for this. When I mentioned years ago that I liked listening to a certain artist while playing Twilight Princess, one of my friends pointed at me and yelped “Sacrilege!” And I totally get it – TP has a fantastic soundtrack. But after I’ve played a game the whole way through, I will sometimes turn on my own playlist and rock out. …At least I used to. Now I’m a bit more self-conscious about it, weirdly.

Anyway.

A week and a half ago, I took some days off work and decided to just get out for a while. It was raining the whole time, so I drove around and went to a few bookshops I hadn’t been to before. I threw on some music I listened to when I was a kid or teenager, and memories – mostly of playing Ocarina of Time – came flooding back. Then I started thinking about music I now hear and associate with certain games.

So here’s just a brief insight of what I listened to when playing certain video games:

So I noticed a few days ago that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is officially 25 years old as of April 13 (at least in North America). And I thought, “HUH! …It doesn’t feel like it should be that old.” But then again, I’m that person who still thinks 2007 was maybe a few years ago. *shrugs*

I know many people who adore this game. One of my best friends contends that this is the Zelda game he feels closest to. Unfortunately, I didn’t really get the memo and play the game until maybe 12 years later.

Believe it or not, The Legend of Zelda series wasn’t a big part of my life for, well, most of the time I’ve been alive. I blame my older brother in part for this.

There are undoubtedly several features to love about Breath of the Wild. One of my favorites is the fact that you can find, tame, and befriend a variety of wild horses in this game. They come in different colors, patterns, temperaments, and in some cases, different sizes (looking at you, giant black horse in the desert). If you really want to know what to look for in a horse, you can always check out this handy guide to help you find your perfect steed(s). Or you could be like me and go, “I LIKE THAT ONE IT IS PRETTY AND BLUE!” and just give zero hecks about anything else.

What I Search for in a Horse

It’s going to sound really silly, probably, but I am not completely about finding the strongest or fastest horse. I mean, sure, I prefer horses with 3 or more spurs of stamina and a bit of strength, but that’s not what it’s all about for me.

It usually comes down to color!

I really, really, really like blue and black horses. And by really, really, really, I mean 80% of my roster is one of those two colors. The only exception is the fabled white horse. Also, I almost always try to snag solid colored blue or black horses. There have only been two who have not fallen into this category: my pink and white horse ChizuKêki and my black and white spotted horse Oreo-kun. They were too cute to pass up. 🙂

Favorite Steeds of All Time

Since I technically have 3 full files of BotW (yep, I finished my 3rd play-through last week!), I have 15 horses. Here are some of my favorites:

If you’ve played much of Breath of the Wild, you will come across one of the most amazing characters of the game: a blue macaw-looking Rito named Kass. His accordion greets you with a catchy tune as he sways gently to the melody. When you finally approach him, he will tell you that he is a wandering minstrel with a love for song.

And he is on a MISSION, people! His beloved teacher, the court poet for the Hyrulean royal family, handed down ancient, sometimes incomplete songs about various regions in Hyrule, and he needs to share them with the Hylian Champion. That’s why you’ll find him throughout all the various climates and locations in the land of Hyrule. No place is too hot, too cold, too stormy, too Guardian-y, too full of Octoroks for this cool birb, not when he has his life’s mission to complete!